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What we think
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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Nitro 16 offers substantial savings with a strong performance for general use, 3D tasks, and gaming, thanks to a powerful processor and superior graphics card. Its large battery ensures longer use, and a high refresh rate display is beneficial for fast-paced activities and gaming. However, it's heavier and has a more pronounced gaming appearance. Conversely, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16, while more expensive, provides a premium experience with a sharp, color-accurate OLED touchscreen and a lighter, more portable design. It's well-suited for professional environments with its subdued look and top-tier build quality, keyboard, and speaker systems, despite a lower-performance GPU which may affect gaming and other graphics-intensive tasks. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Acer Nitro 16
- Very good for gaming and AI
Advantages of the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16
- Very good for general use
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall build quality
- Good portability
- Best in class speakers
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.8
8.6
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
494.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
393.0 nits
9.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
6.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.8/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 is very good for general use, while the Acer Nitro 16 is good.
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 has a higher RAM capacity, a superior OLED screen with higher resolution, and a lighter, thinner design which enhances its portability and screen quality, making it very good for general use. In comparison, the Acer Nitro 16, while offering ample storage and a robust CPU, is heavier and not as portable, with a lower screen resolution IPS display, which still provides a good general use experience, but it falls short compared to the Lenovo, particularly in screen quality and portability.
Gaming and AI
8.0
6.7
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.6/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Acer Nitro 16 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 is only fair.
The Acer Nitro 16, with its Nvidia RTX 4070 graphics and a high screen refresh rate, offers superior gaming and 3D performance, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16, though with a capable AMD RX 6500M GPU and quality OLED display, has a lower refresh rate and is not as suited for the most intensive gaming or 3D applications.
Content Creation
7.8
8.5
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 is very good for content creation, while the Acer Nitro 16 is good.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
7.7
8.2
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 is very good for software development, while the Acer Nitro 16 is good.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Screen Quality
8.3
8.5
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
494.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
393.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 16 has a better screen than the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 has a better screen for general use, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, laptops with crisp resolution, a good panel type like IPS, and higher brightness levels provide a clear, vivid display, which the Acer Nitro 16 and Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 deliver. However, in engineering and design, color accuracy is crucial for detail-oriented work, which is why the ThinkPad Z16's superior color gamuts make it particularly well-suited for these tasks. When it comes to 3D and gaming, a high refresh rate ensures smoother visuals, which neither the Nitro 16 nor the ThinkPad Z16 focus on, thus limiting their effectiveness for these fast-paced applications.
Battery
9.0 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 16 has 9 hours of battery life. The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 has 7 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Fair
Good
16.0in
SIZE
16.0in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
4.2 lbs
1.1in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 has good portability, while the Acer Nitro 16 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4
8.0
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 has very good build quality, while the Acer Nitro 16 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,275
$1,120
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Acer Nitro 16 has a price of $1,275 and the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 costs $1,120.
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Key similarities
Engineering and Design
8.2
8.4
7.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
8.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 and Acer Nitro 16 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Acer Nitro 16 is well-suited for engineering and design due to its high-performance CPU, sizable RAM, and dedicated Nvidia GPU, along with a bright IPS screen that displays a good range of colors, but it is heavier and has a louder operating noise; whereas, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 excels with a superior OLED touchscreen display with high resolution and color accuracy, more RAM for complex tasks, but sacrifices some GPU performance and is lighter for better portability. Both laptops offer quality keyboards and are equipped to manage heat efficiently despite their powerful components, with the ThinkPad having an edge in speaker quality.
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How the Acer Nitro 16 and the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Nitro 16 | Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,275 | $1,120 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | May 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 11'' x 1.1'' | 14'' x 9.4'' x 0.62'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.95 lbs | 4.27 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.18" | 13.95" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.02" | 9.35" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS | AMD Ryzen 7 6850H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 2048 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9 Hours | 7 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 90 Wh | 72 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | OLED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 3840 x 2400 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 494 nits | 393 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.1/10 | 7.9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | Yes | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7/10 | 8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 9.6/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 0 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Acer Nitro 16
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | June 2023
"Video editing, rendering and, of course, gaming represent the Nitro 16's core competencies with a Ryzen 7 7735HS and GeForce RTX 4070 providing the necessary power. Both chips run at consistently high clock speeds. A fast PCIe 4 SSD (1 TB) provides the required storage space and ensures short loading times. With the Nitro 16 AN16-41, Acer has a well-specced, mid-range gaming laptop in its portfolio."
Lenovo ThinkPad Z16
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Dig into reviews and images
PCWorld
Matthew S. Smith | September 2022
"Lenovo’s ThinkPad Z16 tries has some success in its effort to tweak the ThinkPad formula. The laptop is attractive, yet still tame, and material quality is on par with the best Windows competition. I also like the smooth, responsive haptic touchpad and the wide range of modern connectivity. Yet the Z16 doesn’t fix ThinkPad’s typical weakness: value. Starting around $1,550, and more typically near $1,700, the Z16 finds itself facing alternatives that have better performance or an improved display for the same price, or less."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 16 or the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16
About Acer
Acer is a prominent Taiwanese electronics brand which makes a wide range of laptops, with multiple product lines catering to personal use, gaming, and business use. They are renowned for having exceptional value for money, as they frequently offer good specifications at a lower price than other manufacturers.
About Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
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Why trust us
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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About the laptop team
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CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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